UE5: Quick Start Guide to Lighting with HDRIs in UE5

This environment contains ONLY ONE LIGHT.

One, single Sky Light.

There is no Directional Light and no Sky Atmosphere.

How?

HDRI.

Video Tutorial

What is HDRI?

HDRI stands for High Dynamic Range Image. It contains full range of values from dark to bright in a single image.

HDRI lighting is also called Image-Based Lighting and it's one of the fastest and most accurate ways to light exteriors, interiors or both, realistically.

And HDRI in UE5 creates such beautiful results.

Notice the soft shadows, indirectly lit areas, perfect colors and a backdrop. Something that's difficult to do with a Directional Light, Sky Atmosphere and Sky Light (which is the standard setup).

What Do You Need?

Here is what you need:

• HDR Image to import and use
• Sky Light
• Post Process Volume to control Auto-Exposure

Set Sky Light ONE of the Following:

• SLS Captured Scene (requires a Sky Sphere with HDRI mapped onto it)
• SLS Specified Cubemap

If you need a backdrop with the same HDRI as the background then you need to set up a material for it.

Then apply the material onto the Sky Sphere inside your map.

HDRI Lighting in UE5

Let me show you step-by-step to everything you need to do and how to start using HDRI to light your scenes in this "UE5: HDRI Lighting" tutorial course.

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